


Asherah Everly & The Lily of the Valley

by AquirsChan



Series: The Asherah Everly Series [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: - More to Be Added - Freeform, Action/Adventure, Angst, Attempted Kidnapping, Blackmail, Carnations are Fridge Horror Tropes, Children Fighting Against the World, Fluff, Humor, Kidnapping, Magic, Minor Parental Abandonment, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Original Character(s), Other, Urban Fantasy, Violence, When you break all the written laws of the world, You tend to get kidnapped a lot, first draft, mentioned PTSD, original magic system, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:02:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24034759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AquirsChan/pseuds/AquirsChan
Summary: “I was just your ordinary run-of-the-mill girl. Then I became a magician.”“Name’s Asherah Everly. Please, call me Ashe.”For the first time in history, an outsider walks upon the lands of the supernatural, the fantastical, and even the waiting. Landing in Avalon and guided by the solemn Arthur and the bored Merlin, Asherah Everly finds her life flipped upside-down. Finding herself uncovering secrets untold, journeying through the lands, and making new friends along the way.Did I mention she’s the only person in the world who can do that? Well, she also has a target on her back.Can Ashe brave the new hostile enemies that meet her at every pass? Or will she fall to the hands of those greedy for power?
Series: The Asherah Everly Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1733785
Kudos: 1





	1. Things Are Getting Better

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first draft of my attempt at Young Adult Fiction/Urban Fantasy. I'll take what criticism you endorse, but please keep in mind that this is not the final product. And to always stay respectful when you give me your critics, I won't accept flames.
> 
> Still, thank you for picking this up. It means more than you know.

“Are you certain that this will work?” A stout young man with blond hair and blue eyes asked. He was stoic, stalwart, and dressed head to toe in kingly armor. Looking for all the world like a knight from a fairy tale. “There will not be any side-effects? No disastrous consequences? ...No sudden body changes?”

A head of blue and white rolled their eyes at the man. “What’s with all the suspicion, my liege? This is a very tested procedure. Delicate? Yes. Extremely difficult? Also yes. Something outside the boundary of my power? Hahaha… no.” With that said, he plunged a metal stake into a sleeping girl’s heart.

Did we mention there was a sleeping girl lying on a table? No? Well… now you know.

The blond man barely grimaced as he watched his long-time friend and mentor hammer down the stake so it remained secure. He knew that she was under a magical sleep and that the stake wouldn’t kill her or cause her pain in the slightest. Even still, it was not a pleasant sight to lay witness to.

Taking a moment to divert his eyes from the semi-gruesome sight before him, the blond’s eyes drifted across the gazebo. Nearly everything here was polished white marble. The floor, the low walls, and the pillars that held up the crystalline dome over their heads. Even the table where the sleeping girl lied was a pure white, surrounded by bouquets of beautiful flowers. If an outsider had looked at it, disregarding the man currently puncturing her chest, they would have thought of it as a funeral.

However, the blond was no outsider. He knew exactly what was going on. A ritual, one that hadn’t been attempted since the olden days, when his kingdom still stood.

“Okiee~” The violet-eyed mage sing-sang as he stepped back to admire his handiwork. “Mana injector has punctured the soul through her physical heart. If things go well, then it should pump the liquid mana through the entirety of her soul, awakening her innate mana reserves and adding to them as well.”

The mage circled the table, checking each and every flower he had lain there. “Amaryllis, anemone, azalea, nasturtium, magnolia, sweet pea aaannndd…” Picking a single flower from the bunch, he gently moved it into the sleeping girl’s hands, positioning them so they would clasp the flower in both. “A little white lily of the valley for our sweet little lady.”

The blond took a moment to glance at the girl lying on the table. She was a petite thing. With pale white skin and long black hair, appearing to be very dead. And if not for the rising and falling of her chest, the blond would have believed her to be so.

Then he shook his head, now was not the time to wax poetic about a young girl. “Anything else, Merlin?”

The violet-eyed man, now known as Merlin, hummed as he gave it some thought. “Well, I’ve got the mana injector in her. The protective flowers are all lined up. I attached the collector to the gazebo and tested it out to make sure that it could handle all the mana it’s about to suck in and compress. What else…” He snapped his fingers. “Right! Hold on a minute, Arthur. I gotta go get something from my workshop. Keep an eye on her while I’m gone!”

The court mage of Camelot smiled and then disappeared in a puff of petals. The blond, now named Arthur, picked out a stray pink petal that had fallen into his hair and sighed. 

Slowly, he approached the table, solemn eyes watching the young girl that had fallen so abruptly into his life. The tale she had told him, and the way her hazel eyes were bright with confusion… As a king and as a knight, he had sworn right then that he would help her however he could. He had asked her what she needed, and she told him that she had to go home.

There was only one way home for a person like her, so he sought the help of his trusted advisor, who obliged his request. There were other ways, less risky and dangerous than what they were about to do, but this was the only option available to them. Anything else risked upsetting the fragile balance that keeps the world in check.

This was the only way, Arthur repeated to himself. So why was he…

“Back!” Merlin exclaimed from right behind him, playfully shoving Arthur aside. “I got the thing. I’ve been saving this for a special occasion, and there’s nothing more special than a little lady’s first steps into her new role~”

In his left hand was a flask, full of a liquid silver that reminded Arthur of swords and rings. Popping open the cork, Merlin doused his right hand with the flask’s contents, then he gently clasped it over the girl’s neck.

“It’s a blessing,” Merlin explained to Arthur, who looked slightly baffled by the procedure. “This place is jam-packed with natural mana, a type dwindling in the Real Zone. It also contains some special properties that you can’t really find anywhere else than here. What we’re about to do is flood this place’s magical atmosphere into this girl and forcefully increase her magical reserves, fully awakening her potential for magecraft in the process. After that, I’ll create a false scenario in her mind that’ll force her Sorcery to activate itself as it did before in the Real Zone.” 

“Another thing to note,” Merlin continued, his tone nonchalant. “This girl’s human, completely human, and this type of mana can harm her because she’s a foreign entity. It’s already done so before.”

“You speak of her difficulties in breathing?” Arthur answered, receiving an earnest smile from his advisor. 

“Yup! We’re lucky she didn’t eat or drink anything from here. Most of this place’s magical atmosphere is filtered in through her olfactory system, much like carbon dioxide and all the other junk that shouldn’t be breathed in. However, some of it can still bypass that system and enter the lungs, making it hard for her to breathe. Had she taken in anything other than air-”

“I can understand the implications, Merlin.” Arthur did not like those implications. “So what is the purpose of this blessing?”

“A mage’s blessing allows the receiver to share traits and some knowledge straight from the provider. The little lady can’t take in this place’s magical atmosphere, let alone its concentrated mana without the cost of harming herself. It’s impossible. But using this blessing, I can impart some select traits of mine down to her. And since I can take in this place’s mana without any sort of consequence…”

“...You can impart that Trait onto the girl and keep the mana from harming her,” Arthur finished just as Merlin finally pulled back his hand, leaving a silvery handprint on her neck. “How much can a mage’s blessing impart?”

“The long term is tricky and hard to explain, but the short version is ‘everything’,” Merlin smirked triumphantly, puffing his chest out in pride. “All my spells, all my knowledge, all my Traits, and even my Sorcery to some extent. She could get everything if I wish to give it to her.”

Then, the mage sighed, losing all the flair he had just displayed. “However, I’m just gonna give her a few spells, some formal ritual info, a little bit of the basics for her Element and my resistance to the harmful effects of the atmosphere. Which, as a side bonus, gives her immunity to most modern and magical drugs~” He gave Arthur a thumbs up and a wink. “Courtesy of your resident half-incubus.”

Arthur shook his head in amusement, his oldest friend really hadn’t changed, even after all these years. “Is there anything else I should be aware of?”

“Well, there is one thing I wanted to talk to you about.” Merlin put the now empty flask away, disappearing into his robes. His jovial expression became serious, and Arthur knew that the mage had been thinking hard on this. “Why are we sending her back?”

“I beg your pardon?” Arthur asked, a little surprised. “The young lady had requested it of me. I could not say no.”

“I get that part. I’m asking about the situation if we send her back like this,” Merlin gestured over to the table, where the girl lied sleeping, oblivious to the world around her. “Her family’s already been targeted. And from what she told us, it’s likely that those people had been tracking her for her Sorcery. If I awaken her magic using the atmosphere of Avalon and give her my blessing… don’t you think she’d be happier here?”

“Merlin…”

“I know, I know! Knights can't refuse the request from a woman and all that. But think about it, Arthur. If I send her back to the Real Zone, the people gunning after her will want her even more. A person like this? Knowing modern Fantastics, they’ll stop at nothing to have her. If we send her back out there, you can imagine the sort of things she’ll go through.”

Arthur could imagine, in fact. He’d been mulling over his decision to help ever since he had accepted her plea. Merlin’s words rang true. Reserves holding mana from Avalon, her unique and one-of-a-kind Sorcery, and a mage’s blessing from the greatest wizard known to the world. A war would practically erupt, a manhunt around the globe, for this young girl who only wished to go home.

It would be much, much safer for her to live here. With Arthur and Merlin and the fae of Avalon. To stay here, would mean that she would never have to face the upcoming storm.

And yet still…

“She is not like us, Merlin,” Arthur replied, unmoved. “She cannot stay here in Avalon. She is human, too human. She has chosen to return home, and so I will respect her decision. You should as well.”

Merlin narrowed his eyes, before shrugging. “As you wish, my liege.” A staff that seemed to be shaped by precious gems materialized in his outstretched hand. “Stand back.”

Arthur nodded, and stepped back, trusting Merlin to do his magic. He watched as the mage twirled his staff before slamming the heel onto the floor. Circles and lines and geometric shapes formed across the white marble, words lost to the sands of time flew through the air and weaved themselves into a long, knotted ring. Expanding more and more until it hit the pillars of the gazebo, lazily spinning in place. 

Merlin closed his eyes as he muttered ancient languages under his breath, some of them unpronounceable by human tongues, and more words joined together. Creating a smaller ring, and Arthur knew that the pattern would continue. The king glanced outside, at the gardens of Avalon, and saw little motes of light appear. They came from the soil, the plants, the water, and the air. From every little thing that held mana.

He gazed silently as they flew to the top of the gazebo, shifting his attention there. He found the crystalline dome glowing with a powerful light, and the collector Merlin had placed up above was being filled with those same motes he had seen earlier.

Turning his attention back to his trusted advisor, he saw that a development had occurred. The bouquets of flowers Merlin had placed there before had unraveled themselves from each others hold, and now each individual flower was now floating in mid-air, circling around the girl. The lily, surprisingly enough, did not join its brethren.

Merlin’s chanting had grown even faster, so much so, that not even Arthur could keep up with his words. Those flying words then formed one final ring, and Merlin finally stopped.

All was still…

Merlin snapped open his eyes and spun his staff in hand, the handle reaching out to touch the last ring. _“Lritsritz spactym!”_ He cried.

The woven words glowed gold, then they span faster and faster. Each consecutive ring joined the last, and soon, every one of the knotted words was spinning at heart-racing speeds. With a wave of Merlin’s deft hands, the rings began to shrink. Closer and closer, they came together and only stopped when they hit the circle of flowers, still protecting the girl. It took Arthur a moment to realize that had the flowers not been there, the girl would have been cut into mincemeat by the sheer speed of the words. 

The mage then snapped his fingers, and everything came to a halt. 

The circle of words and flowers then contracted and shrank, becoming a disc just the right size for the girl’s middle finger. Merlin then looked up to the collector, now having compressed the motes of mana into a pinkish liquid, and opened it with a wave of his staff.

Little droplets of pure magical energy fell through the ring, turning them white, before landing on top of the injector. As the first drop touched the metal stake, the flower in the girl’s hand began to glow. Softly, like the light of the moon. As more and more droplets fell, the more the lily in her hands began to glow, until it was shining like a newborn star.

Without warning, the girl’s body was lifted up from the table by an invisible force. The patterns on the floor started to weave and dance, spinning like the fractals of a kaleidoscope. The lily of the valley’s budding petals removed themselves from the stem, conjoining to create a small crown-like shape. Then, they fell onto the girl’s chest and dispersed into nothingness.

And just as they did, the last droplet fell onto the injector.

The glow died, the ring disappeared, and everything went back to normal.

Merlin, sweating but clearly not done, walked over to the floating girl and raised his staff. Following its movements, the stake then pulled itself out of her chest, it’s purpose fulfilled.

And, like a dam letting loose the floodgates, a surge of unexpected power pushed Arthur back against a pillar. He covered his eyes with his arms, straining to see beyond the blizzard of force blowing against his face. Merlin had been pushed back as well but was holding his ground with a protective barrier he had called up. The girl was at the eye of the storm and was more than likely the cause of it too.

Grunting with exertion, Arthur looked again and saw a small, twinkling star emerge from the girl’s torso. Then as soon as it appeared, it winked out of existence.

The surge had stopped as soon as it did. And after taking a moment to collect his bearings, Arthur understood why.

Like that small, bright star. The little lady, too, had vanished.

Merlin dissolved his barrier. He was haggard-looking and disheveled, but still, he was smiling pridefully. Even having the gall to send Arthur a small wink. “Looks like it worked. Since she doesn’t have a destination in mind, that girl should automatically return home. Go me~!”

Arthur let himself breathe a sigh of relief. It worked. “I applaud you for your work, my friend. But I have another request for you.”

Merlin directed the deadest of deadpans at Arthur, his shoulders slacking. “Already? But I just did some really hard magic…” He whined.

“It is but a simple favor, Merlin.” Arthur rebutted. “I need you to send a message to Galahad.”

Merlin stood up straight, now looking interested. “A message to Galahad?”

“From the young lady’s story, it seems that she is acquainted with him from her school. And if Galahad is there, then the Round Table’s greatest knight can’t be far behind. I will ask of them to protect and teach that young lady, as is their duty as proper knights.”

“Ah, so you’re calling two of your best knights out of retirement, eh?” Merlin grinned, wide and true. “I’ll go grab the doves then~” Once again, he teleported in a puff of petals.

King Arthur Pendragon, the Once and Future King of Britain, shook his head and looked at the table where the girl had been. She would face great peril and even greater foes. But for some reason, he couldn’t keep himself from smiling.

“Go forth, Lady Asherah,” He whispered to the winds. “I have faith that you’ll see this through.”

A gust of air blew through the gazebo, carrying his message to the skies above. With a destination in mind, the gust of wind set off to deliver.

Far away, in a ruined apartment in Philadelphia, a small breeze drifted in through a window. Flying throughout the damaged home, it gently caressed over a young girl lying unconscious on the floor.

As if that wind stirred her back to the realm of the living, that girl woke up.

_“I was just your ordinary run-of-the-mill girl. Then I became a magician.”_

_“My name’s Asherah Everly. Please call me Ashe.”_


	2. Things Are Still Getting Better, Then They Get Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title tries to be as accurate as possible.

You might be thinking, _‘What in the world is going on?! What are Arthur and Merlin doing? Why is that girl in a broken apartment? Who is she? What’s happening?’_

You’ll be happy to know that I’m here to inform you and get you back up to speed! It’s for my benefit too because, well, I’ve kind of lost track of everything that led up to this point. So much has been crazy lately, so this organizes my thoughts as well. It’s a double deal! Or a win-win? 

Either way, here’s the gist of what’s going on.

I’m Asherah Everly. I’m a fourteen-year-old girl living in Philadelphia. My mom’s a working wife and my dad’s a house husband. I go to school at Amadour Middle School. And today, I almost got kidnapped, my parents are somewhere I don’t know, and I have magical powers.

...The last three don’t make that much sense when put down without context, huh?

Alright, starting again. I’ll do my best to sum up the important parts of the last three events, but I don’t quite understand it all myself, please forgive me.

On a Wednesday afternoon, my life turned upside-down. These guys, said to have been aligned with the Patrocia Family, had been hired to track me down and kidnap me as a part of their contract. My parents were held hostage as extra leverage so that I would go with them willingly. I agreed, but when they broke their end of the deal to leave them alone, I panicked and… accidentally did some magic. 

I still have no clue what kind of magic it was, or how I managed to use it in the first place, but heeding my wish to flee, that spell took me to a faraway place. Out of reach from humanity and reality. It was the legendary resting place of King Arthur, Avalon.

I was… semi-out of it, thinking that I had either stumbled into heaven or I was in a dream. But a man approached me, Arthur, and asked me what I was doing here. I explained the situation, which helped a little but not really, and he agreed to help me. Taking me to see Merlin. Except… that freaking guy cold-clocked me with his staff and I was out cold. 

Again.

I could go into more detail, and I really would like to, but there was a problem at hand here.

I may have escaped and managed to return, but my parents… they weren’t here. I had no clue where they were. Maybe they escaped, maybe they were being held somewhere. And there was... the possibility that they were simply… k-killed, but they were probably smart enough to stay alive.

I hoped. I hoped with all my heart that they were alive. They didn’t deserve this.

Now, it’s just me. Alone with my thoughts inside this broken apartment that I called my home.

...I need to get up. What am I doing talking to an imaginary audience?! My family’s in danger!

I tried to push myself off the floor, but my arms shook, and exhaustion unlike any other poured over me. I squeaked as I collapsed again, my body begging not to be moved. Which was a really stupid thing, because I needed to. Get. UP!

I forced myself to stand, even when every fiber in my being was screaming at me to lie back down, I couldn’t listen to those instincts. The only thing I would listen too was the heart-pounding fear for my parents. I had to find them. I had to- I had-

“Ah!” My first step forward sent me tumbling back to the ground, and I would’ve kissed the floor if not for-

“Galus?” I asked, more than a little surprised as he flung my right arm over the back of his neck and grabbed my waist, supporting my weight. “What are you doing here?”

Galus was a boy from my middle school. The local “don’t mess with him or you’re dead” kind of guy. He often beat up bullies and got into trouble a lot for things he didn’t do, but those he protected often called him their ‘knight in denim trousers’. He had saved me once before, earlier this afternoon, but…

“No time to explain,” He replied hurriedly, shuffling towards the front door. “We just gotta get out of here and head over to my dad’s place. It should be safe there.”

“Wait, but-” I nearly tripped over my own feet as I started to walk alongside him. My muscles felt like they were being brutally murdered, but at least our walking speed was hastening. “Why are you helping me? How did you know to come here?”

“As I said, I’ll explain later when we’re safe.” 

“Safe? Safe from what?” I asked as he pulled open the door and we stumbled into the hallway.

“Safe from-” 

“Hello there, children,” A posh, accented voice called from the end of the hallway. “My, what a young pair of Fantastics I’ve found.”

I turned my head and came face to face with a man wearing the oddest set of clothes I’d ever seen. 

I mean, who in the world would wear green shorts with leather boots? With a red hoodie of all things to compliment it? And all of it was neon bright. My face automatically scrunched in disgust at his fashion choices, and even without facing him, I could tell Galus’ face was grimacing just the same.

“Oh by the good graces of God,” Galus groaned, and never before had I empathized with another human being so deeply. “What’s your name? Who are you aligned with?”

Aligned?

“Dear, child. I am Sir Joshua Foray. Aligned with the noble House of Patrocia, but really.” The stranger smiled, friendly as can be, but my heart stuttered. 

Patrocia… like the men who were here earlier, the ones who held my parents hostage. I tugged on Galus’ shirt, shaking my head minutely. All it took was one glance for him to get the message, this man was not to be trusted.

“What business does a Patrocia have in this building?” Galus continued to demand, subtly pushing me behind him. “Or better yet, what business does a Patrocia have in Wvilderbeest territory?”

So many terms I didn’t understand, but Wvilderbeest was… probably another family?

“Now, now boy, I’m not here looking for trouble with those Wvilderbeest. I’m just here to finish the job given to me, and I’ll be on my way.” The neon-dressed man smirked when his eyes landed on me. “It’s not as if me being here is against the clauses.”

“You’re right. It’s not,” Galus agreed, but even then, he glared fiercely at Joshua. “Back to the matter at hand, what do you want in a place like this?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Joshua said as his hand rose. I could practically feel my heart stop when he pointed at me with a predatory grin. “I’ve been asked to take in the girl.”

“She’s not a Fantastic,” Galus argued. “She has nothing to do with our world.”

“On the contrary, young man...” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a mini-flashlight. I didn’t know what was so intimidating about that, but Galus’ muscles tensed. “That girl is quite the commodity. If you don’t want things to get ugly, then you’ll hand her over to me.”

“G-get ugly?” I finally found my words, but I immediately wanted to take them back when his eyes roamed over my form. I felt naked under his gaze and I didn’t like that. Not at all. 

“Oh, young lady,” He intoned, turning on the little flashlight and then shining the light on the floor in front of us. A small, star-like shape was etched onto the concrete and glowed like pure gold. “If you don’t comply, then I’ll simply have to… blow up this whole building with all other residents still in it. Unfortunate, but if you’re hard on me, then I’ll have no choice but to follow through.”

I froze in shock. He was planning to blow up the building?! That- that was insane! What was wrong with him?!

Galus finally burst, his anger hot and palpable. “YOU WOULDN’T DARE-”

“Oh, but I do, young boy.” The entire room seemed to brighten to the point it was almost like staring at the sun from its intensity, but even as I was being blinded, I could still see them. Stars, star shapes everywhere. Lining the ceiling to the floor to even the doors of other residents. “One click of this flashlight in my hand and this entire building goes sky high. You, me, and that girl might survive. We are Fantastics, after all. The more mundane people in this building, however…”

The brightness dimmed, and Joshua shook his head, almost mockingly. The both of us could understand the implications.

“...If you do that, it’ll be war,” Galus said. No, more like warned. “The Wvilderbeests won’t stand for such callous slaughter. If you follow through, then the entirety of the North American families will call to arms.”

“If I follow through. Trust me, boy. I’d prefer not to let such a scenario happen, but given the value of that girl over there, my superiors have deemed her… worth it.” Joshua chuckled.

I- I couldn’t make heads or tails of what was going on. Wvilderbeest, Patrocia, families, Fantastics? I recognized some of those terms, but what I did know was very evidently missing a lot of key pieces. As for what they said… war? Sparking war over… my value? That didn’t make even a lick of sense!

“What does that even mean?!” I snapped. “Whatever it is you think I have, I can tell you no that you’ve got the wrong person. I’m nothing special, and I’m nothing worth war over! So just leave- leave them alone! I don’t know what all this is, but just please...”

Joshua sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. “I didn’t want to pull this card, young lady, but you’ve forced my hand.” Reaching into his hoodie, he pulled… a photo? Galus reached out his hand, and a gust of wind carried the picture all the way over to his hand.

I blinked a little, but at this point, I was very ready to accept that my classmate had magic. It was better news than anything else I got today.

Then that good news was immediately replaced with the worst news.

I took a peek at the photo from over Galus’ shoulder, and I instantly regretted it. My stomach churned, and I could taste the bile rising up my throat, but I forced it back down with a harsh gulp. There, right there as the subject of the photograph, were my parents. They were being stuffed in a small cage, a tarp being draped over them. But not before the camera caught their bound bodies, their gagged mouths and their unconscious forms.

They were… they were-

Much like earlier today, something inside me snapped, and I felt rage.

“WHERE ARE THEY?!” I screamed as I pushed Galus aside, intent on shaking the man down for information on my parents. It was only thanks to Galus’ scrambling to hold her back that she didn’t do something stupid. Like, try to tear off the face of the man who can blow up a building. “If you touched a hair on either of their heads, then I swear to god, I will murder you dead!”

Joshua let out a long, loud, and bellowing laugh. I gritted my teeth and growled, that man knew where my parents were. He was in league with the people who took them. My earlier fear of him burned to ashes under my anger. “My, my, what a feisty little vixen we’ve got under that soft pelt of hers.”

Now, I wasn’t a person to dislike others. Frankly, I disliked disliking other people, even when they very clearly didn’t like me and went out of their way to make my life… harder to deal with. But this man, this Joshua. Never before had I felt such loathing until I met him.

“Stop dodging the question,” I growled lowly. “Where. Are. They?”

“Hmm…” Joshua hummed thoughtfully as he tapped his mini-flashlight against his chin. “I’ll tell you what, young lady. I’ll make you a deal.”

He extended his hand towards me, bowed and poised, like a true gentleman. A sight that would’ve once made me smile without knowing, now filled me with absolute disgust. “If you come with me without resisting, I’ll see to it personally that your parents will not be harmed. And if you don’t…” The photo that Galus clutched in his fist dissolved a flash of light, returning to Joshua’s hand.

And slowly, agonizingly, he began to tear the picture in two. A clear message of what would happen to them if I didn’t comply.

“Stop it! Stop it!” I screamed. Just imagining the scene was horrifying enough. “Please… please don’t I-”

 _“Ashe,”_ A whisper came to me. I flinched, shoulders tensing. But after a moment, I realized that the whisper distinctly sounded like Galus’ voice. _“Ashe, listen to me.”_

 _“No matter what he says or what stakes he raises, I will not allow him to get a hold of you,”_ The winds declared. _“Please, follow my instructions exactly, and we might get out of this alive and you still out of their hands.”_

I wanted to put my faith in him, he knew better than me, had more experience, and had shining confidence that touched a part of me I hadn’t known existed. But… all I could think about was my parents. How scared they must be. How much pain they would have to go through if I… I…

As if hearing my thoughts, Galus placed his hand on my shoulder and gripped it tightly. The burning rage, the mind-boggling fear, the worry, the pressure… some of it faded away. I could feel it. There was determination, a conviction in his words, and his hold. He really… meant to get me out of here. Even after how I treated him before… he’s still willing to-

I gave him a minuscule nod, disguised like it was intended for Joshua. And as Galus gently pushed me towards him, I steeled my heart and placed my trust in him.

He saved me once before, and I had faith that he would do so again. For everyone’s sakes.

_“Now, here’s what you have to do…”_

I took a hesitant step forward, breaking out into a nervous sweat as I remembered the patterns on the floor. “Okay, Joshua…” I said tentatively. I didn’t even have to act to make the trembling in my voice seem real. “If- If I go with you. You’ll leave everyone alone? My parents, Galus, the other residents? You swear?”

“My dear lady, I swear upon my very name.” The man bowed once more, his mini-flashlight dangling from his finger on a keychain. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. “As long as you don’t make a fuss, and that young man over there doesn’t make any sudden moves, you can be assured that no one shall be harmed.”

Then, almost as an afterthought, he said, “...much.”

Another wave of righteous anger flared up within me, but I turned the other cheek for now. I had to follow Galus’ instructions. I placed my faith in him after all.

I walked another step forward. And another. And another. All the way until I was standing toe-to-toe with this… this… I don’t know! How do people insult other people in their thoughts?! “Joshua…” I started slowly, making sure his attention was on me and not the guy behind me. “I’m going to be honest with you for a moment.”

“What?” Was his reply, apparently slightly flabbergasted but not by much.

I bit my lower lip, took a deep breath, and confessed the first thing that came to mind. “I’m sorry, but your fashion sense is absolutely disgusting. I mean- atrocious, no wait uh… completely and utterly horrendous? No offense.” Actually, all the offense, but it was too late to take that back.

“WHAT?!” That got his attention. He seethed at me, looking like he had just been smacked across the head with a wet fish. How I knew what that expression looked like was no one’s concern. “YOU LITTLE-” He tried to screech.

I ducked.

Joshua’s impending monologue about the sensibility of his choices was cut off by a very large, very heavy, and very metal heater shield smacking him right in the face.

Was that a tooth that I just saw flying? I think it was a tooth… maybe.

“Ashe! Grab it!” Galus yelled as he ran towards me. For a moment, I was confused. What did he want me to grab again? But then it smacked me like that shield from earlier.

The mini-light! As Joshua was distracted by the pain, I quickly lunged for his right hand. Tugging off the mini-light before tossing it over to Galus, who caught it triumphantly. I smiled, and almost did a cheer right on the spot. From what Galus had told me, that mini-light was being used as the anchor and the trigger for all the explodey things in the building. If we got a hold of it, then no one here would die. And it worked! Oh great-

Why was Galus’ face shifting to panic- oh, right. The bad guy was still behind- URK!

“You two…” Joshua gasped as he raised me up by my neck, strangling me in his hold. My fingers went to claw at his hands, my feet kicking backward, trying to get a hit in. But it was fruitless. This man had more strength, more height, and a heckuva lot more size as his one hand squeezed my neck. “Are making me mad! I should kill you, then the boy, right here. Right now.”

He let out a dark chuckle, before wheezing. “But my superiors want you… I hope whatever it is I get out of this, it better be damn worth it.” His hand clenched tighter, and I could feel my face turning blue. Can’t- breathe- _“Flix!”_

The world turned white and static replaced all sound. My brain was scrambled as my senses went haywire. Did he just- did he just flashbang the hallway?! I gasped for air as Joshua shifted me into a fireman’s carry, taking off in a run. A long run. Longer than where the elevator was and certainly overshooting where the stairs should be. 

Was he- He was going to jump out of the window at the end of the hall! Holy crap!

I struggled in his hold, but as I said before, he had all the advantages over me. Keeping me firmly rooted to his shoulder as he picked up the pace. 

Then, just as I thought that I really was gonna get taken away, my vision and hearing cleared. And what I saw made my hopes soar.

 _“Grvtasp!”_ Galus cried from behind us, wielding the heater shield from earlier in his right hand. A sudden pressure pushed from behind me, sending both me and my attempted kidnapper barrelling back towards Galus.

“Did you really think that just an arbitrary trick would work on me?!” Galus exclaimed as the heater shield remolded itself, changing into a towering scutum that hid his form.

“G-Galus?!” I cried heart racing as the invisible force pushed us closer and closer to the big, tall, and very much would die on impact. “W-what are you doing?!”

To both my shock and slight horror, Galus lifted the shield and slammed it into the floor, wedging it tightly in. After that, he hopped onto the top of the shield, balancing on it as if it were as easy as pie, and told me with his eyes to ‘trust him’.

I already did that you doofus, I wanted to yell at him at that moment. But seeing as he currently had power over my life, I felt like keeping my mouth shut was the best option. Still, I screamed. I’m allowed that, at least.

And just as we were about to collide with the shield, Galus leaped.

Maybe all the adrenaline I had experienced today was doing things to my mind, but to me, it all happened in slow motion. Joshua’s grip around me loosened, too focused on recovering his ground. Galus pounced like a panther, arms reaching out to grab me by the waist, hoisting me away from Joshua as my savior tucked into a flip. And as Joshua was pushed farther away, the scutum shield dissipating into a mist, the two of us flopped to the ground rather ungracefully. Galus landing on his back and me on top of him.

Time sped up again.

A distant crash and a yell reached my ears.

There was dead silence as I took in what just happened.

I- I was alive. Galus saved me, and everyone in this building. And he- he…

“Um… could you get off me now?” A muffled groan came up from underneath me.

I squeaked and got up as quickly as I could, reaching down to pull up Galus, who had been stuck under me ever since that flip thing he did. Rescue flip? Whatever. “Sorry!” I apologized. 

“Hah… no worries,” He replied, running his fingers through his silver-dyed hair. “Just- He’s gone. He won’t be harming anyone. And he’s definitely not getting word to those superiors of his.”

With a start, those words finally made me realize it. A ball of something tightened up within me as I covered my mouth with my hands.

“The trigger’s broken. It got crushed in our fall,” Galus continued, showing me the shattered remains before tossing them away into a corner. “So… no potential accidents. Not that I wasn’t going to break it later, but… some good fortune, I guess.”

The ball of things inside me scrunched up more as I started to shake.

“And…” He closed his wine-red eyes and smiled at me. Kind and earnest, unlike any I had ever seen on him. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

That was it. That was the breaking point. All the emotions I had pushed down during the day. My guilt, my anxiety, my terror, my worry, my anger, and my pain. Everything I felt today all jumbled together into one hot messy pile and then _exploded into nuclear flames._

I didn’t blame Galus for suddenly looking horrified as I burst into tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Galus and Ashe, everybody. Our intrepid fourteen-year-old heroes.


End file.
